MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny men's lacrosse team earned both the first home and North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) wins in program history when it defeated Hiram, 20-2, at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.
The Gators jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the first seven minutes with goals by
Aidan Keenan (Erie, Pa./McDowell),
David Kraus (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley),
Patrick Hogan (London, Ontario/St. Andre Bessett) and
Nick Gralewski (Meadville, Pa./Meadville).
The second quarter was all Allegheny as the Blue & Gold added on eight more goals to push its lead to 15-1 heading into the halftime break. Hogan tallied his second goal of the game while
Pete Schellbach (New York, N.Y./Salisbury School) scored both of his goals during the second stanza.
Logan Sharp (Olmsted Falls, Ohio/Olmsted Falls),
Brennan Dugan (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley),
Benjamin Gallegos (Lafayette, Colo./Dawson School) and Kraus all scored a goal during the period.
The third quarter was highlighted by Keenan, a Kraus man-up goal and an unassisted
Zackery Devers (Kapolei, Hawaii/Kapolei) score that stretched the Gator lead to 18-2 after 45 minutes of action.
Dugan and
Ryan Therkorn (Falls Church, Va./George C. Marshall) capped off the scoring with a goal each in the fourth quarter.
Hogan, Kraus and Devers tied for a game-high with three goals apiece. Devers chipped in an assist for a game-best four-point performance in the win.
Mack Nevin (Innisfil, Ontario/Nantyr Shores) led all playmakers with three assists, while Dugan, Keenan and Schellbach all recorded multi-goal games.
Defensively, Dylan D'Amato (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) caused a team-best six turnovers and scooped up six ground balls.
Alex Winklosky (Gibsonia Pa./Hampton) and
Ryan Mantione (East Northport, N.Y./John Glenn) also picked up six ground balls each. Mantione caused four turnovers and Winklosky finished the night with three CTs.
In net,
Eric Mirkovich (York, Pa./York Central) tallied his first career win in an Allegheny uniform after manning the crease for the first 30 minutes.
David Kratzenberg (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) turned away two shots in his 30 minutes of action during the second half.
As a team, Allegheny was 2-for-2 on man-up opportunities, outshot Hiram 55-10 and held a 2:1 advantage in both caused turnovers and ground balls.
The two teams are scheduled to square off again on Saturday, April 17 at Hiram. Faceoff for the NCAC matchup is slated for 1 p.m.
